Family relationships are an important part of our lives. When all else fails, you go to your family for comfort and support. I believe the term "family" extends outside of our home though, it extends to our relationships in other areas ie: work-family, church-family, etc.
We need family relationships in every area of our lives, however, learning to get along with everyone in our family is sometimes a challenge. We all have that one family member that, even though we love them, they just get on our last nerve. We all have that one co-worker, that we'd rather not have to sit beside, and at some point, someone in the church that you attend will fall short of your expectations. But, guess what, no one on this earth is perfect, Jesus is the only perfect man to have ever walked the face of this earth, and he died for us on the cross at Calvary so that we can be cleansed from our unperfectness and be seen as pure in our father's eyes and forgiven of all of our shortcomings. So, we have the responsibility of loving our fallen family member just as before, as well as forgiving them. Now, we don't have to sit beside them, we don't have to condone all that they do. But, we do have to love and forgive them. We can't toss them out of our family. And, when we fail, they should grant us the same.
It is okay that you don't feel as close to some people as you do to others. It is okay to have stronger feelings for one person than you do for others. That's human nature. Even Jesus had his picks! Even God has his chosen people.
I just really felt strongly today about the word family. I'm sorry this is rambling on so, but I woke up with this on my mind.
So, I have taken some time to look up the meaning of family, by definition as well as oligations, I found a particlar piece that talks about church relationships, obligations and responsiblilities.
Definitions:
Mirium-Webster online
1: a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head
2 a: a group of persons of common ancestry
4: a group of things related by common characteristics
5. a: the basic unit in society
Dictionary.com
| 1. | parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not. |
2. all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor
| 7. | a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents, children, and servants |
| 8. | the staff, or body of assistants, of an official |
The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches that fathers are to preside over, provide for, and protect the family; the mother's primary responsibility is to nurture the children.
You can strengthen your family by making sure family members have a clear idea about their day-to-day responsibilities in and to the family. At the same time, be flexible.
Gospel Principles:
Each person has an important place in his or her family. Through prophets the Lord has explained how fathers, mothers, and children should behave and feel toward one another. As husbands, wives, and children we need to learn what the Lord expects us to do to fulfill our purpose as a family. If we all do our part, we will be able to live together as a family forever.
A loving and happy family does not happen by accident. Each person in the family must do his or her part. The Lord has given responsibilities to both parents and children. The scriptures teach that we must be thoughtful, cheerful, and considerate of others. When we speak, pray, sing, or work together, we can enjoy the blessings of harmony in our families. (See Colossians 3.)
The word "church" can refer to the church universal Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:23), the whole body of baptized believers, or to a local body of Christians (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1:2). When you were baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), He added you to His church (Acts 2:41, 47). This refers to the church universal, the body of all the saved who belong to Christ (Eph. 2:16; 4:4; 1:22-23). On the other hand, such expressions in Scripture as "the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2) refer to a local church, a congregation of those who belong to the Lord in a particular locality who have banded together to work and worship collectively in those things God would have them to do. The Christian, while added to the universal church by the Lord, joins himself to the local church like the apostle Paul did with the church in Jerusalem in Acts 9:26. Every Christian needs to be identified with a local church. When a child of God moves from one locality to another, he should seek out a faithful group of the Lord's people and identify with them in order to fulfill his share of the collective responsibilities the Lord has given him. For, you see, the local church is the only collective functioning unit revealed in the New Testament. The church universal has no organization with which it can function. Nor are there any structural ties between local churches. Each local congregation is an independent, autonomous, i.e., self-governing, group. The Christian's Responsibilities To Members Of The ChurchAs a member of the church the Christian is a part of the family of God (1 Tim. 3:15). Being a family member carries responsibilities. As a part of the universal church one has responsibilities to all Christians worldwide. Being a member of a local church, though, he sustains peculiar responsibilities to those who are his fellow-members in that local body. It is like being a part of the physical family. When one is born he becomes a part of a large family with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., to whom he has responsibilities. But he also is part of a nuclear family of mother, father, sisters and brothers to whom he has special moral and spiritual obligations over and above those he has to the rest of his relatives. Some Of The Christian's Responsibilities To Other Members Of The Church- Love (1 Pet. 1:22)
- Edify (Eph. 4:16)
- Encourage (Heb. 10:24)
- Teach and Admonish (Col. 3:16)
- Bear Burdens (Gal. 6:2)
- Comfort (1 Thes. 4:18)
- Forgive (Eph. 4:32; Matt. 6:14-15)
- Work Together (Phil. 1:27)
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